"She is Haley," said Andrew, introducing Haley to Pippa and her friends. He also introduced Leonard and Howard, who were very nervous.
"Hi…" Haley greeted lazily, her gaze settling on Pippa.
Pippa had short, straight hair, lighter at the tips, blue eyes, and skin as white as a lily.
As for her outfit, she wore a retro-style short-sleeved shirt in a reddish tone, paired with overalls.
'She's cute…' Haley thought, unable to deny the reality.
'Andrew's cousin,' Pippa thought as she also looked at Haley. She couldn't understand why Haley had come here at the last minute, being one of the most popular girls in her grade, but she didn't mind her presence.
Zach was inwardly delighted by Haley's sudden arrival. He needed to take advantage of tonight and score some points with her. As for Cara or Lauren, he felt no attraction and saw them more as childhood friends, unlike Connor with Pippa.
The gathering at Pippa's house began. Andrew preferred this a thousand times more than a crowded party with mostly strangers, alcohol, and who knows what other substances.
A gathering like this was much more fun for him. They played board games, chatted about the game, watched a movie, joked around, and more. It was a great night.
Andrew found Pippa's friends very entertaining, especially Cara, Lauren, and Zach. As for Connor, he didn't like him much because every time Andrew was talking to Pippa, Connor would butt in.
Whether by joining the conversation, interrupting with some comment, or suggesting they do something else.
As the night went on, Andrew started observing Connor more closely and noticed that he kept his attention fixed on Pippa more than on anyone else in the group.
'Connor likes Pippa…' Andrew concluded, feeling a slight discomfort he couldn't ignore.
Why did this bother him? Could it be that he also had feelings for Pippa?
He hadn't really reflected on his emotions when it came to romance, but he always looked forward to going to Pippa's house on Saturdays or Sundays to be alone with her, whether it was to talk about their programming project, trivial topics, or play some mobile game together.
Thinking about all of this, the signs were evident.
'Yes, I feel something for her,' Andrew thought as he sipped juice from a glass. He was sitting cross-legged on the living room floor. It was almost one in the morning, and his parents would soon come to pick him up.
Howard and Leonard had a good time tonight, though they were still shy and not the best at socializing. They got along very well with Zach, a half-Asian boy with round glasses and quite tall for his age.
Zach was a film enthusiast, and the movie they watched today was Back to the Future, a film Leonard and Howard had seen many times before. They had a great conversation/debate with Zach about it.
Howard didn't have the courage to talk to Cara. He knew what she liked but didn't know how to start a conversation. Still, he felt he would have more chances if he were invited again in the future, and judging by how this gathering went, he might become part of this group of friends.
His moment would come; he just had to wait a little longer and be patient.
As Andrew realized his own feelings, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to spend more time with Pippa and have a one-on-one conversation.
Moreover, they wouldn't see each other tomorrow or the day after, as Pippa was busy on Saturday, and he was busy on Sunday. They had decided to work on their programming assignments from home.
Thinking this through, Andrew realized it wasn't mandatory to meet up to work on the project. They could easily do it from their own homes, on their computers. They already knew what they needed to do and what each of their tasks was.
Still, Andrew kept coming to this house. Considering Pippa was a perfectionist who valued maximum productivity, it was odd that she hadn't suggested working from home. That way, they wouldn't be distracted by playing games on their phones or talking about trivial things, often neglecting to write code.
'Could she have a slight interest in me…?' Andrew wondered, having a small revelation.
Andrew set the glass down on the coffee table and discreetly glanced at Pippa, who was a few feet away, talking with Clara and Lauren. Everyone was tired from the long day at school and all they had done afterward.
Leonard and Howard were chatting with Zach. Connor was near Pippa, trying to join the conversation but not succeeding.
As for Haley, she was sitting next to Andrew, looking at her phone, browsing photos her friends had sent her from Liam's party.
She was the one who had the least connection with the group. She only talked to Andrew and a little with Leonard. Her main mission was to interfere in Andrew and Pippa's conversation. The same as Connor.
Andrew noticed, but he didn't say anything. He thought maybe she wanted to be friends with Pippa or something like that.
"Ugh... They'll talk about that party all week and I missed it," Haley sighed as she scrolled through the photos. Plus, the party was still going on, unlike here, where everything had already ended.
"Why did you come here?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because my mom didn't let me go to the other party," Haley lied with extreme ease.
At that moment, Andrew remembered the conversation he had earlier in the afternoon with his friends when they were eating at the restaurant before the game.
The conversation about his nutritional jokes that were only funny to the girls interested in him, according to the guys on the team.
If these jokes were as bad as Kevin and the others said, what would happen if he made a joke here and Pippa laughed?
Would it mean she was interested in him in a more romantic sense? The answer would be yes, as long as she laughed at his bad nutritional joke.
All he had to do was test the theory, and for that, he had to make a nutritional joke that could make things really awkward if no one laughed.
With this in mind, Andrew decided to test his theory. He took a deep breath before approaching Leonard, who was listening to a heated discussion about Star Wars between Zach and Howard.
"Hey, Leonard," Andrew said quietly, "Why don't you try the fries on the table? What do you think?"
"Huh? Why? I've eaten a lot tonight," Leonard said, not understanding what Andrew suddenly wanted.
"Just go along with it, say they're good, and make sure everyone hears you. I need your help," Andrew whispered.
Leonard raised an eyebrow, but seeing there was no major complication in what Andrew was asking, he agreed without thinking much. With a somewhat strange expression, he took some fries and put them in his mouth.
"Hmm, these fries are good!" Leonard exclaimed loudly, though his tone didn't sound very convincing.
Andrew made the first fries joke that came to mind. A joke criticizing fries from a scientific perspective with a punchline that no one would find funny, at least for most people with a normal sense of humor.
Instantly, he heard a laugh. It was Haley, laughing exaggeratedly. Andrew looked at her, confused, clearly not expecting his cousin to laugh at his nutritional joke.
But he stopped thinking about it, as another laugh was heard in the room. The laugh belonged to Pippa, and it was more genuine and less exaggerated than Haley's.
Cara and Lauren looked at their friend, unable to believe she was laughing at such a bad joke.
Leonard was trying to figure out what had just happened and what the hell Andrew had said—was that a joke? Why couldn't he find it funny?
'She laughed!' Andrew thought, ecstatic. The moment of uncertainty completely disappeared, replaced by a wave of excitement.
That meant Pippa was interested in him! As long as he believed the words Reggie and the others had said. He should take their words with a grain of salt since his friends aren't exactly experts in romance. Even though they are athletes, each of them has only had one girlfriend at most.
After confirming this and feeling a little more sure that there might be an interest from Pippa in him, Andrew sent a message to his parents.
In the message, told them to come and pick him up a little later. so he could be alone with Pippa without Connor and Haley.
He had to make his move tonight. It was all or nothing. He briefly explained the situation to his parents.
Cam responded instantly, sending enthusiastic encouragement when he learned that his son was interested in a girl.
Minutes passed, and in half an hour, everyone had left. Claire came to pick up Haley. Connor and the other friends of Pippa left as well. Howard also left with Leonard, Debbie came to pick them up.
Only he was left with Pippa.
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